Battle of Kaiserslautern

The battles of Kaiserslautern took place of the 28 with the November 30th 1793, during the war of the First coalition. The armed with the Moselle, ordered by the general Lazare Hoche is overcome by the Prussian army ordered by the duke of Brunswick.

Context

Having failed in the catch of the fort of Bitche, the duke of Brunswick decides to be withdrawn in the Vosges. The conditions weather are terrible, it snows, mud makes the ways impracticable. Lazare Shakes, launches out to the continuation of the Prussians. He begins and knows neither its army, nor the country and loses much time to seek its enemy. The French general divides then are armed to try to locate it. Brunswick wisely makes this time profitable to choose the place of the battle carefully. Kaiserslautern is protected by marshy banks from the Lauter.

The battle

The November 28th, the French Army advances on three columns. The column of right-hand side is ordered by Alexandre Camille Taponier, that of left by Jean-Jacques Ambert. Shake walk in the center, but the ways are too bad and it loses much time.

It is Taponier which enters it first in contact with the enemy and gains some successes at once. But Ambert had much evil to cross the Lauter and is, with only 6 thousand men, vis-a-vis the body of Friedrich Adolf von Kalckreuth quite higher of number. Threatened of surrounding, it must fold up and join the forces of Notch, which comes to its help.

The 29, the French Army crosses the river. The avant-garde of Dubois and Molitor are severely hung in front of the plate of Erlebach. Ambert must go to their help by circumventing the plate. Only a strong battery installed on the heights neighbor comes to end.

Notch then reforms its troops on the Otterberg. Attacked by several French squadrons, the left wing Prussian which however seems isolated resists. The brigade Simon loses itself by attacking the right wing enemy and joined division Paillard only with fallen the day. It is too late to undertake a new attack, and Ambert receives to go all during the night to join Hoche.

On its side, Taponier attacks Kaiserslautern, but only and in front of a strong resistance, it is pushed back in wood. He also spends the night on the alert.

In the morning of the 30, the cannonade makes rage on the two sides. Notch lance of new attacks. On the left, with the head of four battalions, Molitor lack to take Buchberg, but it is pushed back. Huet division with evil to be maintained on the right. In the center, the cavalries of the two camps charge in turn, emulously, without order and precise goal. All its attacks are quite disordered. Seeing its well supported sides, Brunswick makes go its lines to take again the Otterberg and Hoche finally orders to give up the combat.

Consequences

Exhausted, the armed with the Moselle is folded up, after having lost 3.000 men. With five battalions Ambert is charged to protect the retirement, but Brunswick gives up the continuation.

Hoche will severely be criticized by the Comité of public hello. It will lose its command the March 20th 1794 and convinced of treason, it will be thrown in prison. It will not owe freedom that with the Chute of Robespierre.

Sources

French Studies of military literature per Louis Albert Beauvais - 1855

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